Thursday, March 02, 2006

King Lear on Ash Wednesday

I recommend teaching King Lear on Ash Wednesday.

Me: "What is Ash Wednesday about?"Smart Catholic Student: "Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return."Me: "Right, today is the day when the church tells you"--pausing a little for a little dramatic effect and looking meaningfully across the room--"you are all going to die. You are all going to return to nothing...or at least to dust. So, with that in mind, what does it mean to 'know' 'nothing' in Lear?"